This has been very helpful thread and I appreciate the responses! Now that Junior year is over, the search begins in earnest for a school. Daughter enjoys creative writing. Has very little aptitude for math and got a C in Algebra 2. (And that was with a tutor helping her. Trust me it would have been worse otherwise). Doesnt mind cold weather at all. Gets A or A minus grades in honors English and History and honors Language. Due to Yellow Ribbon Program, the GI Bill, lots of savings, and a wealthy Uncle, money not a factor. Any school suggestions appreciated. Her SAT score was very good for verbal but not good for math. Thanks.
Eckerd - excellent for creative writing, good for B/B+ students (or lopsided students), “Writers’ retreat” led for example by Dennis Lehane. A good match.
Denison as a reach - their creative non fiction writing concentration is excellent. They’re test optional if her Math+English scores are well below 1300 together.
Ithaca - Good for B+ students, can be test optional if total score is below 1200.
Kalamazoo - Good for serious B+ students, can be test optional is score is below 1200.
Wooster - Good for serious B+/A- students who are strong writers, can be test optional if score is below 1200.
Knox - Good for B students, very strong for writing, can be test optional if score is below 1100.
Susquehanna - Good for B students, very friendly and supportive, can be test optional.
Check out UPuget Sound, Willamette, Beloit, Roanoke, Wheaton MA, Augustana IL, Chatham, SUNY Oswego, SUNY Geneseo (reach).
@natty1988 - Here’s a similar but perhaps older one from the NYTimes: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/08/26/us/college-student-migration.html
@AgouraLiz What about University of Iowa? Great school. Especially for kids interested in writing but not in an LAC. Best part is that based on what you’ve said she should have an admission in her pocket from them in a few days after applying. It’s a great feeling! The town is very nice and I know many kids who went there and loved it. My daughter applied and got in but ultimately decided against it only because of some quirks related to the nursing program. But she really liked the school overall.
Second Eckerd College. Besides the Writers in Paradise series every January, they have an award winning student newspaper, great study abroad program and winter term, writing workshops, internships, etc. eckerd.edu/creative-writing/why-creative-writing-at-eckerd/
@Maya54. I like the idea of Iowa very much. We intend to visit this summer! It’s cool that they have the admissions process that is very straight forward. Does anyone happen to know of other schools who do it like Iowa, with the RAI index score? That would be a great thing, in my opinion. I get tired of reading about the “holistic review”. I know Iowa State does it as well, but any other state universities?
@AgouraLiz Boise State has their admissions criteria on their website. My son will get the WUE scholarship based on his stats. Boise and Iowa will be his safeties and he’ll hear back from both of them early which will take a lot of pressure off throughout the rest of application season!
Wyoming has a creative writing program. And it’s cold, so she might like that. It also has rolling admissions and it only takes about a week after application.
She would, unfortunately, be require to take a math class unless she tests out of it. My daughter took hers at a local university over the summer and it was painless.
Unrelated question: why do some schools NOT publish their Common Data Set? Where can I find all of them? I am struggling to find some. I see a Common Data Set from a couple years ago, but nothing recent.
Only one novel? Just one instrument?
I am coming to this thread kind of late, but after many years on this site, I don’t share your perception of CC (though I appreciate the humor.) For some of the student types you quote (angst about an A-), I often suggest counseling. Please don’t base your perceptions on what is essentially pathology!
And stay away from chance me threads.
Noone has mentioned the Colleges that Change Lives website (and book, national fairs).
Endicott, Lesley and Quinnipiac in the Northeast are possibilities but there are plenty of them. Other posters have made great suggestions.
Your daughter’s language scores are apparently good but for others, here is an incredible list of test-optional schools https://www.fairtest.org/university/optional If only Felicity Huffman had seen this.
There is no reason to fret, whatsoever, especially if you can pay. There will be many options.
Not sure why some colleges do not publish, but a subset of the CDS (including most of section C about frosh admission but not section D about transfer admission) can be found at collegedata.com .
"http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/2132704-effects-of-an-a-minus.html#latest
Wow. I am impressed with this but yet sad that kids are worried about an A minus. I got nothing…"
I remember that thread, but I’m a little miffed that adults would take potshots at kids to make themselves feel good in this thread. Both of these threads are disappointing to me, that one for the kid not being able to cope with an A- and this one for criticizing kids who may have mental and emotional issues. Poor form I think. Note, I’m not one of these “A- is the end of the world people”.
“Whoever this kid is would be mortified by my daughter’s current C minus in Algebra 2. LOL!!”
Well in my high school in upstate NY, they reported the number grades, so my Bs and Cs were represented in all their glory!
Thanks to the recent folks who have chimed in. I was NOT trying to take pot shots. For the record, I am also not criticizing “kids who have mental and emotional issues.” My child has both, thank you very much. This thread, for those that are interested, was merely my observations that CC can be a very poisonous environment. And, that I see many more discussions about those super kids who pretty much have their choice of the top 25 schools…than those who are good, or maybe even average students. Good grief.
There are more colleges to choose from for a B student than a tippy top of the bunch student, with and less drama.
@AgouraLiz are you looking at a lot of chance threads? I am really curious about where these impressions come from.
CC is very helpful to parents and kids alike when there are challenges, whether academic, medical or psychiatric. I don’t view it as a poisonous environment at all. We just must be reading different threads.
I totally get where you’re coming from, @AgouraLiz. The majority of CC posts are about kids looking at tippy top schools. I didn’t take it as a slam at all. But they is also a lot of help for people looking for help for kids with lower stats or issues. You just have to look for them.
I have a D20 B+ student and a S22 B- student. The D20 looks like she’s going to be 3 for 3 on her admits and is really pleased with her top choice. FWIW her SAT/ACT were very low and she refused to sit for another test. (Two out of three of the schools she applied to were test optional.) I’m sort of dreading starting all over again with S22, although he probably will look at many of the same schools.
@AgouraLiz I can make some recs for Texas: Southwestern U, UNT, St. Ed’s. Trinity has gotten too competitive unless you have a very high test score to offset a B average.
Thank you, @murray93 And, congratulations on your 3 for 3 admits for D20!